Egg-crate.



J. A. .HILLIKER.

EGG CRATE. APPLIOATION FILED Nov. 23, 1908.

Patented Mar. 16, 1909.

II l' ll-lllullu'llulllllllllllllltllrllllll BEST AVAILABLE COPY UNITED srn'rns PAT NT err-Ion.

JOHN A. HILLIKER, or CHICAGO, ILI'fnvoIs.

EGG-CRATE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN A. HILLIKER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Egg-Crates, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the class of eg crates, and consists of certain specific nove features of construction constituting improvements in the egg crate shown and described in my co-pending application, Serial No. 443,530, filed July 14, 1908. In this present invention, as in the earlier applica tion, means are provided whereby a number of eggs may be inclosed in a crate or case in such a manner that they may be freely handled for all legitimate purposes, such as shipping, marketing, and candling, and yet to maintain the packages or cases in proper form. It is desirable in the handling of eggs so as to market them to the best advantage to the roducer for the packages to be sealed when filled, the seal bearing the name of the packer and if desired the date of packing,

' and for such seal to remain unbroken throughout the handling of the package until the eggs are to be consumed. If desired the in dividual eggs may be stamped after being inclosed in the crate or case. In constructing egg crates of the character set forth herein it is desirable to utilize stock which shall be both cheap and strong. For this purpose a suitable character of straw-board may be employed, and the devices are preferably stamped from sheets of such board and thereafter marked or creased so that after being received by the person fillin the same with eggs they will be readily fcilded from the flat blank form into the proper form to receive the eggs. An additional desideratum is to combine the maximum strength with the greatest economy in amount of straw-board or other material used in the manufacture of the device.

All of the foregoing objects and others which will ap ear as this description progresses are fully set forth hereinafter and illustrated'in the accompanying drawings, in which I Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating a referred embodiment of this invention su stantially in the position which it 00011- pies when about to be filled with eggs,

though spaced somewhat wider than usual Fig. 2 is a plan view of the blank after being Serial No. 463,988.

stamped or cut; F' .3 is a longitudinal sec-.

tional view of a fo ded case turned on one. side, and Fi 4 is a transverse section show-. ing the pre erred form of internal bracing means.

Throughout the following detail description and on the several figures of the drawings similar parts are referred to byl ifke reference characters.

The numeral 10 indicates generallyla s stantially rectangular blank comprising crate or casing. Such blank is formed s marked or creased in such a manneras form side walls 11 and 12, a top 13,2114 bottom 14, these four members constituting inclosing-bracing walls. As a continuation of such members and formed from the same structure there are a plurality of filling members 15 and 16. The member 1513 oomposed of an egg receiving wall 17', and auxiliary bracing members 18 and 19. -Likewise the box-like member 16 comprises an egg receiving wall 20 and auXili-arybrecing members 21 and 22. The connecting web 8! 23 between said box-like members 15 and- 16 is cut away in the formation of the article,"

and internal bracing members 24 are formed therefrom, thereby economizing in the amount of material vised. Each brace 24 comprehends a'member 25 connected at 25", to the main portion ofthe web 23-and adapted to be bent along such line of connection so as to ermit the member 25 to assume a right angle with respect to the said web 23. 90 The brace when thus disposed has c( )ntact= with all the four walls of the closed casing; serving to prevent both lateral and vertical strains from crushing the casing and cone tents. The member 25 is cut away at 25" in order to facilitate the operation of folding.

In order to multiply the effective strength of the brace, I prefer to retain sufiicient stock of the blank to form a companion brace merr ber 25?, coextensive with the memb when folded into operative position The eg receiving walls 17 and 2( vided with openings 17 and 20 res preferably of elliptical form so as conform to the shape of the eggs tained therein, and the. opening larger than the others for the re: those first mentioned are intended to recei 2 the largerends of the eggs, and whereby eggs will project through the respectiv openings to about the same extent. In 1*( erence to the openings 17 and 20 it may b BEST AVAILABLE COPY The elli tical form of the openings 17 and v 20 is t erefore of importance because the curving of the walls 17 and 20 when engaging the e gs converts said openings into seats the e ges of which bear against the eggs with 1 equal pressure at all points. Furthermore the walls 17 and 20 are to be provided w ith transverse slits 24 whichmay be sufficiently 'toJenter the tongues 26".

shorter than the full width of said walls to leave catches 17 and 20 adapted to interlock with notches 24 formed in the brace members. B providin the cutaways 25 e box mem ers l5 and 16 may be folded i place, the brace members 24 being rered into the slits 24: aforesaid. n order to facilitate the introduction or :oval of eggs, the folded casing may be ported in a shallow flat bottomed tray a r-of any suitable construction, the same being-provided with tongues to engage the casing-to hold it therein. The tongues 26 are preferably longer than the ton ues 26" are required to be. After foldin t e casing asabove set forth, the same is s ipped into the. tray, one end passi beneath the tongues. 26 so as to permit ishe opposite end When held in this position, the resiliency of the structure ofthapasing will permit the eggs to be introduced into their respective pockets, and {hereafter-the casing will be closed and ochre-d.

The side walls 11 and 12 are preferably provided with peep holes 29 for the purpose of ventilation and \detection of broken or soiled eggs. The to and bottom of the device also are provi ed with peep holes 30,

- preferably of larger size than those of the sides, whereby the acker may stam the eggs theretbrough a ter the casmg is c osed. [my or all of said peep holes may be employed for candling purposes while the device is bein e we 23 is likewise*' perforated in order that the view through all of the peep holes ma be unobstructed when the device is fo ded. The de wall 11, constituting one end of the recular blank 10, is provided with tongues project toward the main body of and which are intended to inter- .ts 32 formed in the brace member box-like filler member 15. Such 1 are directed in such a manner as .t tendenc of the crate to open after g filled. gaid side wall is furthermore provided with a tongue 33 adapted to interlock with a slit 34 on the same brace member, but said last mentioned tongue is :rected so as to prevent; the tendency for iecrate to crush by downward pressure.

whereby in the operation of folding the case I preparatory to use, the filler may be made by a folding movement in the same direction as that incidental to folding the body of the article. This advantageous 'result is of course primarily due to the fact that the filler is folded on lines parallel with the fold lines of the sides of the case.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1.. An egg case comprising an inclosing body having a filler composed of spaced egg receiving walls, said walls having elliptical openings therein forming egg seats and being flexible so as to curve outwardly when engaging the eggs and thus form cushioning supports, the curvature of the said walls causing the edges of the elliptical seats to bear against the eggs with equal pressure at all points.

2. An egg case comprising a substantially rectangular blank folded laterally upon itself to form substantially continuous top, bottom, and side bracing Walls ofan egg compartment, and portions of said blank being folded to form spaced box-like filler members Within said com artment, said filler members being provide with openings forming egg seats and also transverse slits, and bracing means extending through said slits and serving to prevent both lateral and vertical crushing strains, substantially as set forth.

3. An egg case com osed of a substantially rectangular blank olded laterally upon itself to form practically continuous inclosing bracing walls, and a art of said blank inclosed within said wal s being folded to form a filler having spaced egg receiving walls, there being an integral portion of the blank between said last mentioned walls cut to form auxiliary bracing means for the inclosing walls.

4. An egg case comprising a blank folded upon itself to form top, bottom, and side inclosin walls and op ositely dis osed inclosed filler members t erein, eac of said members comprising an egg receiving wall and bracing members serving to maintain the egg receiving wall in spaced relation to the adjacent top or bottom wall, one end portion of the blank constituting one of said inclosing walls and having interlocking devices and the other end portion of the blank constitutin one of said bracing members, said interloc ing means cooperating with another of said bracing members, and a brace member integral with the blank and extending crate consisting of one end portion constituting one side wall and having a plurality of tongues and a row of peep-holes, a bottom member having peep-holes, a second side wall member having a row of holes to register with those of the first side member, a top member having holes to register with those of the bottom, an inner bracing member having slots to receive the said tongues, egg receiving members having openings for eggs, and connecting means between said egg receiving members including additional interior bracing means.

6. An egg case composed of a blank folded laterally upon itself to form practically continuous inclosing walls, and a part of the blank inclosed within said walls being folded to form a filler having spaced egg receiving walls, and transverse bracing means between said filler walls serving to engage all of said inclosing walls to counteract all crushing strains. 7

7. An egg case com osed of a unitary blank constituting top, ottom, and side inclosing walls, internal transverse bracing means to cooperate with all of said walls, and egg supporting members serving to re tain said bracing means in position.

'8. An egg case com osed of a unitary blank constituting top, ottom, and side inclosing walls, internal transverse bracing means to cooperate with all of said walls, and slitted egg supporting members to receive and interlock with said bracing means to hold the same in place and to hold the case folded.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN A. HILLIKER.

Witnesses:

GEO. L. BEELER, A. N. MITCHELL. 

